No Good Northman
by Ninnani
Summary: "'Oo are ye? Ye think ah don't recognize a Northman when ah see one? Ah won't be 'aven a no good Viking scout in mah forest. Now 'oo are ye an' what. Are. Ye. Doin' 'ere?" Mericcup
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so before we start I want to cover my back. I did no research on Viking and Scot history. I remember reading somewhere that they didn't get along so I took that and ran with it. I plead creative licensing on anything that seems inconsistent with the HTTYD books because I've only seen the movie. Also, I know that Berk is an island but for all intensive purposes****_ I plead creative licensing _****and it is now a Viking village off the coast of Scotland.**

**Summary: **Lately Toothless has been disappearing on Hiccup for hours on end, exploring the far reaches of the land around Berk. Curious as to where his friend is going off to Hiccup follows him deep into Scot's territory and meets Merida who seems to be well acquainted with the Night Fury already. Merida and Angus are on their daily ride through the forest when a rustling in the bushes behind makes them pause. Merida draws an arrow, taking aim at the unknown presence.

**I hope you enjoy it, don't forget to review!**

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"Oh, it's just you," Merida laughed, visibly relieved to see the large black dragon crawling out from the shadow of the trees. She lowered her bow and her smile turned into a frown. "Ya nearly gave me a 'aert attack ya big brute."

Toothless just grinned at her, bounding out from the shelter of the forest shrubbery. Angus whined, shifting nervously at the dragon's proximity. He still wasn't used to the beast being so close.

"Oh hush, Angus, it's just Gum," Merida scolded, slinging her bow over her shoulder and sliding off his back. Toothless purred happily as the Scottish princess rubbed his head affectionately. "See," she glanced at her horse over her shoulder, "'E's 'armless."

Hiccup watched the pair from his hiding place in the bushes a little ways off. For the past few weeks Toothless had been disappearing on him for hours on end and Hiccup was getting curious as to where he kept going off too. The boy had followed his dragon all the way from the coast, deep into the heart of the woods, the woods that belonged to the Scottish clan DunBrock. There was a reason he hadn't revealed himself yet. The girl was obviously a Scot. Dragons weren't Berk's only enemies and if the Scots found him, a Viking, wandering their woods he would be in deep trouble.

"Gum?"

He raised an eyebrow at the name the red head had given Toothless. He wasn't sure which was more shocking, the ridiculous name or the fact that she even had a nickname for the dragon in the first place. She looked so comfortable with him. Why wasn't she screaming and running for her life? She wasn't having any of the normal reactions most people had when meeting Toothless for the first time. She was rolling around with the over grown lizard like they had been friends their whole lives.

"So this is where you've been going off to?" Hiccup whispered to himself, "What are you doing Toothless?"

The girl dug through her horse's saddle bags. She was pretty, Hiccup though. Very pretty, with bright blue eyes that he could see shining all the way across the clearing and the craziest hair he had ever seen. Seriously it was bright red and everywhere, flying around her head like a wild fire, as cliché as it sounded, every time she moved. Hiccup wouldn't be surprised if every shade of red in the spectrum was hiding in the mass of those curls.

"Ah've got somethin' fer ya," Merida sang, pulling out a small green satchel and dangling it in front of Toothless. He nudged it with his nose, sniffing curiously. Whatever he smelled got him excited and his ears perked up. He lunged for the bag but she swung it out of his reach, giggling. "Ah ah ah," she chided, shaking a thin finger at him. "Ye want the fish? Ye can 'ave it if ye let me ride ye."

Uh oh. Hiccup bit his lip nervously watching Toothless' reaction carefully.

Toothless narrowed his eyes, his puppy-ish demeanor had vanished replaced by a cautious, distrustful air. Hiccup knew Toothless didn't like other riders. Not even Astrid had been given the privilege of riding Toothless without Hiccup on his back as well. If the girl tried to force herself on him there was no way this would end well.

Merida approached him slowly, arms outstretch, "Come on. Jus' a wee little ride an ye can 'ave yer fish. Ah won't 'urt ye."

Toothless growled softly in warning, backing away from her. His lips pulled back to reveal a set of sharp white teeth but Merida kept coming, slowly closing the distance between her and the dragon. Hiccup watched in disbelief. This girl was either very brave, very stupid or a little bit of both.

"She has a death wish," Hiccup muttered to himself. He had to do something before she got hurt. Hiccup stepped out from the bushes and entered the clearing.

"Ah… I wouldn't do that if I were you," He called, making her jump. She spun on her heel, blue eyes wide with surprise. "Toothless doesn't really let other people ride him. It's a uh… it's a thing."

Merida stared at him, confusion flooding her soft features. Then she took in his clothing, obviously the cloths of a viking, and recognition flashed in her eyes, followed by anger.

Now there was a reaction he anticipated. To bad it was the opposite of what he was hoping for.

What happened next happened so quickly Hiccup was sure that if he blinked he would have missed the whole thing. She dropped the satchel full of fish, whipped her bow from her back and drew an arrow from the quiver on her hip in one swift motion. Toothless roared and leaped over her head, landing in between Hiccup and the girl with a thunders thud. Outraged, her horse reared, letting out a deafening neigh and coming to his rider's aid.

"Angus!" Merida cried, as Toothless turned his violent green gaze onto the raging Clydesdale and rose on his hind legs to meet him, spreading his black wings to make himself even with the horse. She trained her arrow on the dragon completely prepared to shoot at him to protect her horse when the Viking boy ran in between the two animals, arms outstretch.

Angus skidded to a stop and snorted, glaring at a hissing Toothless.

"Stop. Toothless. Down." The boy's voice was firm and surprisingly calm for the current situation. "Down, boy. Don't hurt him. You don't want to hurt him."

Merida's eyes widened as she watched in shock as Toothless actually listened to the scrawny boy. The dragon growled but pressed himself down to the ground, glaring back at the horse.

"Good boy, Toothless," he said, placing a calming hand on his head. "That's it."

Angus snorted again and pawed at the ground, shaking out his mane anxiously. He turned and made his way over to Merida who still had her arrow drawn. Hiccup held his hands up.

"You can put that away now," He said. The creak of her bow as she tightened her pull on the arrow made him falter. He swallowed nervously.

"What are ye doin' 'ere?" She asked.

"Um.."

"'Oo are ye? Ye think ah don't recognize a Northman when ah see one? Ah won't be 'aven a no good Viking scout in mah forest. Now 'oo are ye an' what. Are. Ye. Doin' 'ere?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for reading and for all your favorites, follows, and reviews. It's really encouraging. Here's Part 2 of No Good Northman. I know it's short and it cuts off at the end, but if you guys like it I might continue. I really love Merida and Hiccup and I really enjoyed writing them. Let me know what you think, if there's anything that you liked or hated. Or if I should change or improve anything.**

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Hiccup shook his head quickly, "No no no, not a scout. Viking yes, but I-I'm not a scout, I swear."

Merida narrowed her eyes at the boy. He wasn't at all like the ferocious barbarians her father had described in his war stories. He was the complete opposite, and certainly not ferocious. He was tall and scrawny, a gangly bean pole of a boy, with knobby knees and oversized hands that he hadn't quite grown into yet. His wide green eyes were fixed nervously on the arrow head she had aimed at his chest.

"I-I was just looking for Toothless," He stuttered, gesturing to the dragon coiled behind him, "and I found him, so… uh, we'll just be going. We… We don't want any trouble."

She frowned at him and glanced at Toothless, confused, "Toothless?" She loosened her draw and lowered her arrow, "Ye mean Gum?"

The boy visibly relaxed when she lowered her weapon, letting out a sigh of relief. Toothless relaxed as well, rising from his crouched position and peering at her over the boy's head with his large green eyes.

"Well, no, I mean Toothless. That's his name."

"Toothless," She tested the name, looking between the dragon and the skinny Viking boy, "Is 'e's yers?"

"Yeah., sort of." He rubbed the back of his neck, and glanced back at Toothless. "I mean he's not really mine, like I don't own him or anything. Toothless is his own pers- er, dragon. He's… uh, sort of like my best friend."

Hiccup could have kicked himself. This was so not the time to get all tongue tied in front of a girl. Still, he couldn't get over the fact that after all this time he was still useless at talking to them. Astrid reduced him to a blathering idiot even though they had broken up and his girl, well he could tell she was all fire and fight and he was willing to bet that she didn't even need the bow to take him out.

Merida seemed completely unfazed by his spastic word vomit. Her blue eyes were fixed on Toothless and his were fixed on her. "Can ye ride 'em?"

"What?"

She looked at Hiccup. "Before, ye said he let ye ride 'em. Can ye?"

"Y-yeah."

"Wow." Hiccup couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as her eyes widened with wonder. No one had ever looked at him like that before. People looked at Toothless or Astrid like that, with eyes full of shock and awe. They didn't look at him like that. Not scrawny little Hiccup.

_But she was._

Pride welled in his chest and he stood up a little straighter. He looked at Toothless and back at the red head. "Do you still want that ride?"

Her face lit up like a little kid's on Christmas, but her gaze flickered back to Toothless and it dimmed again, "but 'e din't let me before. Is 'et okay wit 'em?"

"Oh yeah," Hiccup waved off her concern, "It's just a thing. He lost a tail fin a while back and I made him a prosthetic." Hiccup gestured to the scarlet tail fin he had made, a stark contrast against Toothless' jet black hide. "I'm the only one who knows how to work it so I'm the only one who really gets to ride him." Toothless purred and nudged Hiccup's shoulder affectionately as he tested the harness on his back, pulling on it gently to make sure they were secure. Hiccup smiled, "and also sentimental reasons too I guess."

With a grunt he hoisted himself up on the dragons back and held his hand out to her.

Merida's face broke into a grin and she took it without hesitation, hitching up her skirts and clambering up behind him.

Finally, after a week of trying to coax Toothless into letting her ride him she was getting her wish. She was going to ride a dragon. Princess Meirda, she thought to herself, the first of her Scots to ever ride a dragon.

If only her mother could see her now, climbing onto the back of a fire breathing beastie with a boy, a Viking boy, she didn't even know. Oh, she'd skin her alive.

"Okay bud, let's take her up easy." He glanced at her over his shoulder, "You uh, might want to hold on."

Merida did as she was told and wrapped her arms tightly around the boy's waist. Hiccup blushed as her voice sounded in his ear and her flaming hair tickled his neck.

"Ah'm Merida, by thah way."

Toothless tensed to spring. "Hiccup." And they were off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! It's been a while. I know I said I was not going to continue this story, but Mericcup week was last month and I wrote this little number. I think it's really cute and a great way to end this story. **

**Now, this is the end, but I'm currently writing a full length Mericcup fic called Legend of the Loch and plan to start a small drabble collection set in the RotBTD universe. So, if you're interested keep a look out for those.**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

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Merida shuffled forward in the saddle as Toothless crouched, ready to spring. Hiccup swallowed. Merida's violent curls were everywhere in his peripheral vision, tickling his cheek and his neck, as she wrapping her arms around him.

"R-ready?" He managed, adjusting his grip on the handles of the saddle. He felt her nod, "Okay, Bud. Let's go. _Gently_."

In retrospect, Hiccup should have known better, but for some reason he really_, really_ wanted this girl to like him, not scare her out of her mind. Then again, he also should have known better than to doubt the Night Fury. If anyone could get her to like him it was Toothless. The dragon was a living breathing chick magnet.

Toothless let out a rumbling growl that sounded suspiciously like a laugh to the Viking boy and in one swift motion he spread his wings and launched into the air, nearly throwing the two teens off the saddle. Merida's squeal rang in Hiccup's ears and she clutched him tighter trying to keep herself from flying backwards.

"Toothless," He yelled over the roaring of the wind. Toothless laughed again rocketing across the sky, rolling and diving through the air and Merida continued to scream. Her yells where drowned by the roaring of the wind in their ears as Toothless broke from the tree line and soared over a sparkling lake. If he hadn't been so preoccupied he would have marveled at the beauty of the place, but Hiccup was too busy struggling to keep up with the dragon as Merida's small hands clutched at his tunic none too gently.

"I'm really, sorry. He's usually not like this," He yelled over his shoulder. "Gods, Toothless, take it easy. She's never even seen a dragon before, come on. No, don't." Toothless roared enthusiastically, pulling up and pumping his wings, climbing into the air. Merida's arms tightened around him as Toothless shot up into the clouds. The dragon leveled out and they were suspended in midair for a moment. Hiccup met Toothless' green gaze for a split second. The Night Fury grinned cheekily at him.

"No. Don't even think about it. Toothless!" The dragon ignored him, folding in his wings, "Toothless! Oh boy, here we go."

Toothless dropped into a break neck dive, cutting through the air with a high pitched whistle. Hiccup closed his eyes, bracing himself, but instead of the terror filled scream he expected from her a wild laughter filled his ears. He looked over his shoulder. Behind him, a silly grin plastered onto her face, Merida whooped with glee. A smiled slowly made its way onto Hiccup's face as he watched her, joining in her laughter. Her blue eyes were wide, filled with joy. Her nose and cheeks were red from the wind, her hair flying behind her like a comet's tail.

She screamed as Toothless pulled up. Hiccup reacted instantly, turning back around and spreading the tail fin as Toothless spread his wings. Toothless leaned to the right, dipping his wing into the water of the lake, spraying the two teenagers with brine. Leveling out, he cruised over the water, letting the teens catch their breath.

A flash of red caught Hiccup's eye and for a moment he thought the water had caught fire somehow. He looked down, watching the surface of the water pass under them. Merida's reflection smiled at him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"This 'es amazin'," She said quietly. She looked at Toothless, reaching under Hiccup's arm to rub the dragon's head, "'Ee's amazin'."

Hiccup grinned and shrugged mockingly, "Eh. He's alright."

Merida laughed and Toothless made a rumbling noise deep in his chest and pulled up from the glide gently. They soared above the clouds, dipping and wheeling until the clouds were lined with silver and the sky was painted pink as the sun slowly sank behind the horizon line.


End file.
